The thinking man’s ‘epic’

Agora (2009)
Certified: 12
Duration: 126 minutes
Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom, Michael Lonsdale, Manuel Cauchi, Charles Thake
KRS release

Agora is a thinking man’s sword and sandals epic. Shot in Malta, the film makes excellent use of some Maltese locations and has quite an exceptional set. However, the film does not come without controversy.

The epic genre usually portrays Christians as being peaceful folk thrown to the lions and the Jews as being the bad guys. Well, Agora takes a different slant as it tells the story of what happened in Alexandria in the fourth century.

As Christianity was becoming the dominant religion in the Roman Empire, in Alexandria it went on to eradicate all other forms of worship and this meant the expulsion of the Jews and the forbidding of the adoration of pagan gods. The film also depicts Cyril (who was later proclaimed a saint and whose feast is celebrated on February 9), the bishop of Alexandria as being the prime instigator of the events that occurred – the stoning, mass murders, pillaging and more. From the little reading I made, I believe that the film is mostly accurate in its depiction of the events that occurred. However, the film is not an attack on Christianity, but rather on any sort of fundamentalist approach to religion.

Agora tells the story of Hypatia who is considered to be the first notable woman in mathematics and who was a teacher of astronomy and philosophy. Played in an understated and almost dreamy manner by Rachel Weisz, Hypatia is an interesting character. She is fixated on teaching and learning and is eager to find out how the earth circles the sun. In Alexandria, she teaches philosophy to both civic and religious leaders and there are many who envy both her position and the influence she exerts.

Director Alejandro Amenábar takes us through the civil unrest, the rise of Christianity and the sacking of the library of Alexandria and thus the end of Hypatia’s teaching. Among her students were Orestes (Oscar Isaac), a Roman nobleman, the upper class Christian Synesius (Rupert Evans) and the brilliant slave Davus (Max Minghella) who was Hypatia’s slave. The film then skips 15 years to find Alexandria dominated by Christians, Orestes as governor and Cyril the Patriarch (Sami Samir) on an agenda of fanaticism and purgation. The rest of the movie is about choices as each of the characters around Hypatia has to decide what to do as their choices will also affect Hypatia’s future.

Ms Weisz plays her character with earnest and steely conviction. Her upper class looks are put to good use. Oscar Isaac is admirable and conflicted in his patrician attitude to both Hypatia and life in general. The film also makes best use of some Maltese talent, most notably Manuel Cauchi as Cyril’s uncle, Bishop Theophilus.

Mr Amenábar had struck gold with The Others (2001) and The Sea Inside (2004) and here he presents his audience with another thought-provoking drama. In fact, the focus is more on tickling our thoughts rather than on the swordplay. The civic unrest and tension is made very palpable. The film serves well to make viewers ponder the paths of fanaticism. Meanwhile, Hypatia could well serve as a role model for young girls; this is one person to look up to.